The new system is designed to save West Sussex taxpayers £250,000 per year by ensuring the sites are only used by those who pay for them.

Householders will need to prove they live within West Sussex by showing a form of ID such as a drivers licence or council tax bill.

The scheme has been introduced due to the high number of people
travelling across county boundaries to recycle and dispose of their
waste. This has a significant impact on waste disposal costs which
ultimately fall to the West Sussex taxpayer.

Surveys have shown that an average of one in ten people using HWRSs closest to the county borders live outside of West Sussex.

At East Grinstead, this can increase to as many as one in five people.

In response to this residents in certain areas of Surrey will be able
to continue using the East Grinstead Household Waste Recycling Site,
following an agreement between Surrey and West Sussex County Councils.

The councils have agreed a settlement which means Surrey residents
living in the following postcodes – RH7 6, RH10 3, RH19 2, RH19 3, TN8
7, TN8 5 and TN8 6 – who find it easier to use the East Grinstead site,
will still be able to do so.

All other sites in West Sussex will be restricted to West Sussex residents only from 1 December.

The new policy will be enforced through identification checks at HWRSs
entrances to confirm that the site visitor pays their council tax to
West Sussex County Council.

People will need to show only one form of identification, such as:

• Current driving licence (photo card or paper licence) • TV licence – less than a year old • Council tax or utility bill – less than a year old

Council wants to add temporary cycleways through Crawley, but will it really encourage new cyclists?

West Sussex County Council is proposing 21km of temporary cycleways across West Sussex.

The proposal includes routes through Crawley which include from Three Bridges to Manor Royal in Crawley, linking to the NCN21 and Balcombe Road to Town Centre (via Three Bridges).

According to the council the proposals for Crawley are all about improving continuity of existing cycle provision by adding missing links. They also say the proposal would look to improve existing cycle facilities through the reallocation of carriageway space.

The idea is to promote cycling as a real replacement for journeys in areas, which they say were, until the COVID-19 crisis, heavily reliant on public transport.

If accepted, the schemes would involve a combination of temporary traffic management, such as cones and signing, light segregation using ‘traffic wands’, planters, water-filled barriers, road markings and temporary 20mph speed limits.

But will this really encourage new people to start cycling or is this just another dream scenaraio for hard fast cyclists who hate motorists?

Looking at the route proposed through Crawley it is only allowing a more connected route from the main NCN21 (let’s call it the M25 of cycle paths up and down and scratching the edge east of Crawley).

So it will allow those from the north and south to more easily and safely navigate their way to…well…Manor Royal and the Town Centre…

…that’s it…

And who would do this?

You only have to take a look at traffic levels in the towns main industrial area, Manor Royal (pre-COVID-19). Traffic would queue in all directions, car parks would over-flow, so there is a real need to try to encourage people to get out of their cars.

So the last thing Manor Royal workers need are more restrictions as they travel through the area such as cones and slower speed limits

Also, when you take a look at where these workers are coming from, it is actually much further away than a 20 min cycle ride would allow.

Add into the mix weather conditions and the necessity of carrying bags and other essentials to work.

Then there is the school run and the complexities around extra cycling gear, never mind the cost of new bikes – something there is supposed to be a scheme about at the recycling centre but is in-fact a private money making venture (next time you are there take a look and ask for details and you will see for yourself).

Cycling is a great way to stay fit and healthy. It is a superb way to look after the environment. It is fun and has no real additional costs once you have your bike and helmet. But one thing is is not and never will be, is more practical than driving or taking public transport.

Herein lies the problem and truth be told, no number of extra kilometres of cycleways, temporary or not, is going to increase the number of people using it enough to make it a permanent feature.

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